Hinge for electric apparatus



(No Model.)

A. B. DAVIS. I HINGE FOR ELEGTRIG APPARATUS. No, 531,515. Patented Dec. 25, 1894.

F5 I) I Z A \iv 'III W m 11 Wianeses Inventor one or more of the hinges which join the door tute for the usual pintle of iron, a pintle of my invention and showing the method of conable, non-oxidizable and a good conductor of UNITED STATES PATENT OFFrcE.

ARTHUR B. DAVIS, or ELKRIDGE, MARYLAND,

HINGE FOR ELECTRICLAPPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 531,515, dated December 25,1894.

Application filed May 12, 1 894.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR B. DAVIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elkridge, in the county of Howard and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Conductors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in electric conductors for usein connection with electrical instruments inclosed in casings where one or more. members of said instruments are carried by the swinging door of the casing, and where it is necessary to establish electrical connections between the member in the casing and that on the door. It is desirable in such cases to make the connection through to the casing and this has been done heretofore by attaching the ends of the circuit wires on either side of said hinge to respectively the two leaves of the hinge and thus the hinge itself forms the desired connection, butit has manner, first, because the parts of the joint between the leaves of the hinge are not sufficiently binding upon each other to" insure a good contact, and, second, because the pintle of the hinge'ordinarily made of iron or steel oxidizes, which has the result'to insulate the two leavesof the hinge from each other.

The object of this invention is to substisome metal which is non-oxidizable, and'at the same time is a good conductor of electricity.

In the accompanying drawings,-Figure 1 shows a portion of a casing and the lid hinged thereto by a hinge constructed according to necting the wires. Fig. 2 is an end view of the hinge constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig.3 showsasection of the hinge on line 33 of Fig.2. Fig. 4. is a view similar to Fig. 3 and showing a modified form of my invention.

In the drawings the letters, A, A indicate the leaves of the hinge of which, A. is fastened to the side of the casing, B, and A is fastened to the lid, 0, ofv the casing. The pintle, D, is made of some metal which is malle- Serial no; 516,972. (No model.)

electricity; Ihe preferred metal is phosphorbronze which has been found by experiment to possess these properties to a high degree.

The hinge is especially constructed as follows: After the leaves are formed a reamer is passed through the knuckles thereof, or in some equivalent manner the inner side or bore of the knuckles is made bright and clean. The said knuckles of the two leaves are then fitted together and the pintle,D,insorted. As made the pintle is primarily some what longer than the leaves in order that whenthe said pintle is inserted through the bore its ends may be pounded so as to be upset, shortened or expanded inside the bore or joints and closely fill the spaces or inter'-' stices thereof. In this manner the pintle forms a continuous conductor from one leaf to the other. Jlhe'malleability of the metal pintle permits it to expand while its non oxidizable properties insures a good electrical contact between the pintle and thetwo leaves of the hinge. The current passes through the wire, a, to the leaf, A, from there through the pintle, D, to the other leaf, A, and from there along the other wire, a, which wires are confined by the screws, b, by which the leaves are fastened to the casing. I

, Fig.4: illustrates a modification. In this instance the pintle is not expanded in the hinge joints but extends beyond the ends of the leaves and each leaf has a spring contact arm, E, confined thereto at one end by one of the fastening screws, b, and the other end binds against and makes contact with the proj ecting end, a, of the said pintle. The electric current passes from the wire, a, through the spring arm, E, on the leaf, A, to the pintle, D, and through the pintle to the other spring arm, E, on the leaf, A, and then to the wire, a. I am aware of the patent to \Vatson, No.

221,434, which shows a flat spring fastened to one leaf of the hinge and adapted to contact with the other leaf. I am also aware of the patent to Wilson, No. 352,596, which shows a somewhatsimilarcoustruction. Bothof these patents have'the same end in view but employ different methods of accomplishing the results aimed at in my invention, which provides a permanent constant conductor and at the same time a practical hinge.

POO

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In an electrical conductor, the combination of the leaves, A, A, of the hinge; a pintle of non-oxidizable material connecting the two leaves of said hinge; and two circuit wires, a, a, attached to the leaves and in electrical connection with said pintle.

2. In an electrical conductor, the combination of the leaves, A, A, of the hinge; a pintle of non-oxidizable, malleable material expanded inside the bore or joints of the leaves to fill the interstices thereof; and electric circuit wires connected with said leaves.

3. The combination of a box to contain elec- ARTHUR B. DAVIS.

Witnesses:

MATTHEW II. GILL, ARTHUR I3. DAVIS, Jr. 

